Florida men’s tennis coach Bryan Shelton steps down to work with pro son Ben

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Florida men’s tennis coach Bryan Shelton, who led the Gators to the 2021 title and three Southeastern Conference titles in 11 seasons, is stepping down to coach his son Ben.

Bryan Shelton and the school announced Friday that he and his wife, Lisa, plan to spend more time with our family. For Bryan, this means working more closely with Ben, a future tennis pro.

Ben Shelton finished 36th at the French Open, where his tournament debut ended with a four-set loss to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

The 20-year-old Shelton had never competed or even traveled outside of the United States until December, then made a breakthrough in January at the Australian Open by reaching the quarterfinals.

The elder Shelton, 57, played at Georgia Tech (1985-88) and spent nearly a decade on the tour. He began coaching in 1998, first at the USTA and then at his alma mater. He guided the Yellow Jackets to the 2007 Women’s Championship.

Florida hired him in 2012 to coach the men’s team. His tenure in Gainesville ends with 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2021 NCAA title was crowned by Sam Riffice and his then-freshman son.

Ben returned to school his sophomore year and won the 2022 NCAA singles championship before turning pro.

We are so grateful for all that Bryan and his family have done to promote the University of Florida, the Gainesville community, Gator Nation and others,” Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said. Not only has Bryan delivered championships, but he did so with a high level of accountability and standards that he held for himself and everyone in the program every day.

His record on and off the field speaks for itself, and the impact on the athletes he coaches will last a lifetime.

Stricklin said a national search for the program’s 11th head coach will begin immediately.

While in Florida, Shelton helped develop nine players currently competing on the professional tours: Andy Andrade, Oliver Crawford, Josh Goodger, Diego Hidalgo, Johannes Ingildsen, Alfredo Perez, Abdullah Shelbayh, Duarte Vale and his son.

Bryan Shelton posted a letter of thanks to players, administrators, assistant coaches and others.

“The love and support we’ve felt since day one has been amazing,” Shelton said. The level of excellence and your commitment to this place is what drew us here. Thank you for always honoring this commitment. The opportunity to join the most elite program in the country was a dream come true. …

Moving forward, Lisa and I look forward to spending more time with our family. We certainly wish everyone at the University of Florida the best and continued success.

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